Grand Rapids Autonomous Vehicle Initiative #AVGR

• The shuttles now feature a partition that splits the cabin into two sections. The area in the front is reserved for the May Mobility fleet attendant who is monitoring the vehicle’s movements and able to take over driving if needed. The passenger area in the rear still features seating for four people but now is limited to carrying one rider at a time or one grouping of riders who are part of the same household or party.

• grēnlite™, a UV-C light treatment system from Holland, Mich. based GHSP, has been installed in each shuttle and will be used to disinfect the interiors in between each rider or grouping of riders. According to GHSP, a 5-minute dose of grēnlite UV-C is up to 99.9-percent effective in disabling germs and pathogens that cause illness, including human coronavirus.

• Halosil International’s™ Halo Disinfection System® will be used daily to achieve total surface disinfection of the entire shuttle interior. The HaloFogger®, which is also used in hospital settings, ensures the uniform delivery of an EPA-registered virus, bacteria, and spore-killing solution — utilizing dry-fogging technology to reach all of the crevices and areas beyond the reach of sprays, wipes, and UV lights.

• The shuttles already featured dual-zone AC systems. The May Mobility team has added MERV 13 filters to each zone that can easily be replaced on a regular basis to further ensure clean air quality in the cabin.

The Route

The May Mobility shuttles will follow the existing DASH West Route. 

Utilizing this route connects both sides of the river in a thoughtful and intentional way, building a stronger community through mobility and the places that make our city great.

Cost

AVGR is free for riders. 

There is limited seating for 5 so it's first come, first served.

Hours of Operation

Monday - Friday: 7 am - 7 pm

Saturday & Sunday: No service

Wait Time

An AVGR vehicle (May Mobility) is at each stop every 20 minutes.

DASH buses arrive at each stop every 8 minutes.

Attendant

Each vehicle will have an attendant. The fleet attendants are on board to monitor the vehicle and intervene if there should be a need to do so. Additionally, they are present to help answer your questions and provide feedback that helps improve the service.

Signage

Every stop is marked with a Pink DASH logo sign and an information detailing the hours of operation.

Age

•  All children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult 18 years or older.
•  Babies, toddlers, and young children may only ride if their adult guardian has the appropriate safety seat available
•  Child Safety Seats are to be provided and properly installed by the guardian of the child.

Safety Seat Requirements

BABY

All infants and toddlers should ride in a secure rear-facing car safety seat.

TODDLER/PRESCHOOL

All children who have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit for their car safety seat should use a forward-facing car safety seat with a harness.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AGE

All children whose weight or height is above the forward-facing limit for their car safety seat should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle lap and shoulder seat belt fits properly, typically when they have reached 4 feet 9 inches in height and are between 8 and 12 years of age.

MIDDLE SCHOOL TO ADULT

When children are old enough and large enough to use the vehicle seat belt alone, they should always use lap and shoulder seat belts for optimal protection.

All children younger than age 13 should be restrained in the rear seats of vehicles for optimal protection.

Get Involved 

1. Ride the AVGR shuttle 
2. Share your trip on social media
3. Tag #AVGR 
4. Or use #AVGR for all your shuttle sightings

About the Vehicles

An autonomous vehicle can navigate itself without a human. Autonomous vehicles are more commonly known as a self-driving vehicles.

How It Works

May Mobility uses unique technology to collect data from the shuttle each time it is on the road. This improves the shuttle by giving it the ability to “think” on the road and grow smarter.

Why Do We Need Autonomous Vehicles in Grand Rapids?

Understanding how autonomous mobility will operate in our world and how our world will utilize or adapt to autonomous mobility is essential to making these systems accessible to people of all backgrounds and abilities.

We’ve made our autonomous shuttles accessible to more riders

 We introduced autonomous shuttles to you last summer. Since then, we’ve made a few changes to ensure more people in our community can ride them. The enhancements are:

Call 855.351.4544 for an accessible AVGR shuttle

Call 855.351.4544 for an on-demand accessible shuttle to pick you up at an AVGR stop.  

The DASH buses currently on the DASH West route are ADA accessible.

Luggage

There’s limited floor space for bags and carry-on items and there is no trunk for additional storage.

Bike Racks

There are no bike racks on the AVGR vehicles but DASH buses can accommodate bicycles on the front of the buses.

Prohibited Activities

• Animals - Only certified service animals are allowed on AVGR vehicles
• Eating and Drinking - There is no eating or drinking allowed on the AVGR vehicles
• Smoking - There are no tobacco products or vaping, smoking allowed on the AVGR vehicles
• Alcohol - Alcohol products are not allowed on the AVGR vehicles

Park and Ride 

• Area 7 ($) - 301 Mt Vernon Ave NW Grand Rapids, MI 49504
  
• Area 8 ($) - 325 Winter Ave NW Grand Rapids, MI 49504
  
• Area 9 ($) - 250 Seward Ave NW Grand Rapids, MI 49504
• The Gallery ($$) - 10 Commerce Ave SW Grand Rapids, MI 49503
• Ottawa Fulton ($$$) - 50 Ottawa Ave NW Grand Rapids, MI 49503
• Pearl Ionia ($$) - 28 Pearl St NW Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Partners

The Grand Rapids Autonomous Vehicle Initiative is a partnership of organizations that design and build the environments we live, work and move in every day. This pilot program is a partnership between:

City of Grand Rapids

Consumers Energy

Faurecia

Gentex

May Mobility

PlanetM/Michigan Economic Development Corporation

Rockford Construction

Seamless

Start Garden

Steelcase

Together, they will operate and monitor autonomous vehicles on the streets of Grand Rapids.

About May Mobility

May Mobility is an Ann Arbor-based company that is:

• Focusing on safe, reliable and accessible transportation services
• Improving congestion and converting cities into green, vibrant and livable spaces
• Measuring success by driving meaningful outcomes in the world